1,721,109 research outputs found
Presentation and diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease: the implications of current and emerging markers in overcoming the diagnostic challenge
No full textAdult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a known cause of fever of unknown origin. It is characterized by a triad of symptoms: spiking fever (>39°C), salmon-colored rash and arthritis/arthralgia. On a predisposing genetic background, several conditions may act as trigger for disease and among these, infectious agents are the most important. Nowadays, a dichotomous view of AOSD has been introduced which distinguishes this entity in two subsets according to the clinical features and laboratory aspects: systemic or articular. As AOSD is a diagnosis of exclusion, specific biomarkers able to facilitate differential diagnosis are needed. A number of possible biomarkers have been proposed that will be discussed in detail in this review: ferritin, IL-18, procalcitonin, s100 proteins and sCD163
Inflammatory myopathies and overlap syndromes: Update on histological and serological profile
No full textThe term 'inflammatory myopathies' (IMs) comprise a group of muscle diseases formed by four main categories known as polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), inclusion body myositis (IBM) and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM). Due to the increasing evidence of IMs over the course of different autoimmune diseases, the overlap myositis (OM) has been recently recognized as a possible stand-alone entity. IMs are characterized by a wide spectrum of autoantibodies, and the panel of myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAA) has dramatically increased over the last years giving the clinicians a further crucial support to differentiate the different types of myositis. This study aims to collect the most relevant evidence published up to date on the most commonly described OM with a particular emphasis on their histological aspects and also serological features
Sex differences in Sjögren's syndrome: A comprehensive review of immune mechanisms
No full textAutoimmune diseases (ADs) are estimated to affect between 5 and 8 % of the US population, and approximately 80 % of these patients are women. Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an AD that occurs predominately in women over men (16:1). The hallmark characteristic of SS is diminished secretory production from the primary exocrine gland and the lacrimal or salivary glands resulting in symptoms of dry eye and mouth. The disease is believed to be mediated by an inflammatory and autoantibody response directed against salivary and lacrimal gland tissues. This review will examine the literature on sex differences in the immune response of patients and animal models of Sjögren's syndrome in order to gain a better understanding of disease pathogenesis
Autoimmune hepatitis associated with infliximab in a patient with psoriatic arthritis
Full text linkno abstract availabl
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Sleep quality in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Full text linkObjective
To assess the sleep quality in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and evaluate its relationship with the disease,
quality of life and mood disorders.
Methods
The sleep quality of 29 pSS women and 29 matched controls was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Seven domains are grouped according to three factors: F1 perceived sleep quality (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency,
use of sleeping medication), F2 sleep efficiency (sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency) and F3 daily disturbances (sleep
disturbances, daytime dysfunction). These domains are scored as a single factor of global sleep quality. The Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) fatigue scale and Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HADS) were also administered. Disease activity and damage were evaluated with the EULAR Sjögren’s
syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI), the Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity and Damage Indexes (SSDAI, SSDDI).
Results
The mean PSQI global score had higher pathological values (8.6±4.6) compared with controls (5.6±2.2) (p=0.002).
F1 and F3 were significantly worse in cases (p=0.01, p=0.009). A negative correlation was found between SF-36
subscales and the global PSQI, F2 and F3. The anxiety HADS correlated with F2 and F3, while depression only with F3.
No correlation with FACIT and disease indexes emerged.
Conclusion
Using PSQI, an impaired sleep quality was demonstrated in pSS patients, especially with perceived quality and the daily
disturbances. It is associated with a reduced quality of life but not with disease-related variables.Objective
To assess the sleep quality in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and evaluate its relationship with the disease,
quality of life and mood disorders.
Methods
The sleep quality of 29 pSS women and 29 matched controls was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Seven domains are grouped according to three factors: F1 perceived sleep quality (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency,
use of sleeping medication), F2 sleep efficiency (sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency) and F3 daily disturbances (sleep
disturbances, daytime dysfunction). These domains are scored as a single factor of global sleep quality. The Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) fatigue scale and Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HADS) were also administered. Disease activity and damage were evaluated with the EULAR Sjögren’s
syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI), the Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity and Damage Indexes (SSDAI, SSDDI).
Results
The mean PSQI global score had higher pathological values (8.6±4.6) compared with controls (5.6±2.2) (p=0.002).
F1 and F3 were significantly worse in cases (p=0.01, p=0.009). A negative correlation was found between SF-36
subscales and the global PSQI, F2 and F3. The anxiety HADS correlated with F2 and F3, while depression only with F3.
No correlation with FACIT and disease indexes emerged.
Conclusion
Using PSQI, an impaired sleep quality was demonstrated in pSS patients, especially with perceived quality and the daily
disturbances. It is associated with a reduced quality of life but not with disease-related variables
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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